This is a chronological list of notable people from Groningen, who were either born and raised there, were long-term residents, or otherwise have a strong association with the area.

• Wessel Gansfort (1419–1489), theologian and early humanist
• Volcher Coiter (1534–1576), anatomist, founder of comparative osteology and first to identify cerebrospinal meningitis
• Christiaan Coevershoff (1595–1659), Dutch Golden Age painter
• Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer (1604–1665), admiral
• Adriaan Geerts Wildervanck (1605–1661), businessman and coloniser^[1]
• Albert Eckhout (c.1610–1665), portrait and still life painter
• Roche Braziliano (c.1630–c.1671), pirate
• Joris Andringa (1635–1676), naval officer
• Tiberius Hemsterhuis (1685–1766), philologist and critic
• Albert Schultens (1686–1750), philologist
• Daniel Bernoulli (1700–1782), mathematician and physicist
• Johannes Antiquus (1702–1750), painter
• Albertus Antonius Hinsz (1704–1785), organ-builder
• Bernard II van Risamburgh (c.1710—c.1767), cabinetmaker
• Willem Arnold Alting (1724–1800), Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1780 until 1797
• Elisabeth Wassenbergh (1729–1781), painter
• Etta Palm d'Aelders (1743–1799), early feminist and spy
• Leopold von Goeckingk (1748–1828), German lyric poet, journalist and Prussian official.
• Johann August Just (c.1750–c.1791), pianist, violinist, and composer
• Abel Janszoon Tasman (1603–1659), explorer, seafarer, merchant for the Dutch East India Company

• John Goodricke (1764–1786), astronomer, observed the variable star Algol
• Albert Dominicus Trip van Zoudtlandt (1776—1835), lieutenant-general at the Battle of Waterloo
• Petrus Hofman Peerlkamp (1786–1865), classical scholar and critic.
• Geert Adriaans Boomgaard (1788–1899), first validated supercentenarian and last living veteran of Napoleon's Grande Armée
• Coos Cremers (1806-1882), politician, member of the Senate from 1850 to 1877
• Schelto van Heemstra, Baron Heemstra (1807–1864), politician, Prime minister from 1861 to 1862.
• Jozef Israëls (1824–1911), painter of the Hague School
• Joseph Ascher (1829–1869), composer and pianist
• Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831–1915), marine art painter
• Samuel van Houten (1837–1930), politician, cabinet minister, founder of the Liberal Party
• Alexander de Savornin Lohman (1837–1924), politician, leader of the Christian Historical Union
• Otto Eerelman (1839–1926), painter, known for his depictions of dogs and horses
• Klaas Plantinga (1846–1922), distiller, founded the Plantinga Distillery
• Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853–1926), Nobel laureate physicist who pioneered refrigeration and superconductivity
• Gerard Bolland (1854–1922), autodidact, linguist, philosopher, biblical scholar and lecturer
• René de Marees van Swinderen (1860–1955), diplomat and politician
• Barbara Elisabeth van Houten (1863–1950), painter
• Gerrit van Houten (1866–1934), painter and artist
• Dirk Jan de Geer (1870–1960), Dutch Prime Minister (1926–29, 1939–40)

• Jantina Tammes (1871–1947), botanist and geneticist, first professor of genetics in the Netherlands.
• Johan Huizinga (1872–1945), historian
• Jaap Eden (1873–1925), only male athlete to have won world championships in both speed skating and cycling
• Bert Nienhuis (1873–1960), ceramist, designer, and jewelry designer
• Gerrit David Gratama (1874–1965), artist, writer, and director of the Frans Hals Museum
• Jan Gratama (1877–1947), architect
• Albert Hahn (1877–1918), political cartoonist, poster artist, and book cover designer
• C. U. Ariëns Kappers (1877–1946), neurologist and anatomist
• Herman de Vries de Heekelingen (1880–1942), scholar and author, professor of palaeography at the University of Nijmegen
• Julia Culp (1880–1970), mezzo-soprano
• Dirk Janssen (1881–1986), gymnast in the 1908 Summer Olympics who was 105 at the time of his death, making him the longest-lived Olympic competitor
• Jonny Heykens (1884–1945), composer of light classical music
• Wilhelm Baehrens (1885–1929), classical scholar
• Jan Janssen (1885–1953), gymnast who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics
• Tonnis van der Heeg (1886-1958), trade unionist and political activist
• Pieter Korteweg (1888–1970), philatelist
• Alida Jantina Pott (1888–1931), artist
• Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer (1888–1978), last colonial Governor-General of the Netherlands East Indies
• Jaap Kunst (1891–1960), ethnomusicologist
• Michel Velleman (1895–1943), Jewish magician
• Hendrik de Vries (1896–1989), poet and painter, early surrealist
• Paul Schuitema (1897–1973), graphic artist

• Ulbo de Sitter (1902–1980), geologist at Leiden University, founder of school of structural geology
• Jan Wolthuis (1903–1983), lawyer and collaborator, active in far-right politics after WWII
• Hans Dirk de Vries Reilingh (1908–2001), geographer and professor
• Elie Aron Cohen (1909–1993), doctor, Auschwitz survivor
• Theodoor Overbeek (1911–2007), professor of physical chemistry at Utrecht University
• Pieter Meindert Schreuder (1912–1945), resistance leader
• Lucas Hoving (1912–2000), modern dancer, choreographer and teacher
• Jacob B. Bakema (1914–1981), modernist architect
• Anno Smith (1915–1990), artist, ceramist, painter, sculptor, and art teacher
• Jan C. Uiterwijk (1915–2005), entrepreneur and shipping line owner
• Andries Jan Pieters (1916–1952), collaborator, executed for war crimes
• Evert Musch (1918–2007), painter and professor at Academie Minerva
• Dirk Boonstra (1920–1944), active in the WWII resistance movement, caught and executed
• Poppe Damave (1921–1988), painter
• Selma Engel-Wijnberg (1922–2018), Jewish Holocaust survivor
• Henk Visser (1923–2006), arms and armory collector
• Jan Drenth (born 1925), chemist, was professor of structural chemistry at the University of Groningen
• Cor Edskes (1925–2015), authority on the history of organ music and building
• Wim Crouwel (born 1928), graphic designer, type designer and typographer.
• Maarten Schmidt (1929–2022), astronomer named and optically identified a quasar
• Jan Borgman (born 1929), astronomer and university administrator
• Dirk Bolt (born 1930), architect and town planner in Australia

• Ida Vos (1931–2006), writer and poet
• Arie van Deursen (1931–2011), early modern period historian
• Nico Habermann (1932–1993), computer scientist
• Gerrit Krol (1934−2013), author, essayist and writer
• Ad van Luyn (born 1935), Roman Catholic bishop
• Bert de Vries (born 1938), politician
• Andries van Dam (born 1938), professor of computer science at Brown University
• Wim T. Schippers (born 1942), artist, comedian, television director and voice actor
• Driek van Wissen (1943–2010), poet
• Chas Gerretsen (born 1943), war photographer, photo journalist
• Martha Vonk-van Kalker (1943–2022), Senator
• Joanna Gash (born 1944), Australian politician
• Corrie Winkel (born 1944), backstroke swimmer and silver medalist 1964 Summer Olympics
• Jan Sloot (1945–1999), inventor, claimed to have invented a revolutionary data compression technique
• Andy Anstett (born 1946), Dutch-born Canadian politician
• Wubbo Ockels (1946–2014), physicist and astronaut of the European Space Agency
• Alphons Orie (born 1947), lawyer specialising in criminal law
• Alfred Lagarde (1948–1998), voice actor
• Diederik Grit (1949–2012), translator and translation scholar
• Sierd Cloetingh (born 1950), professor of earth sciences at Utrecht University

• Pete Hoekstra (born 1953), United States ambassador to the Netherlands
• Ellen van Wolde (born 1954), biblical scholar
• Hanneke Kappen (born 1954), singer, radio and TV presenter
• Rob Nanninga (1955–2014), skeptic, writer, board member of Stichting Skepsis
• Bert Meijer (born 1955), organic chemist
• Gerard de Korte (born 1955), Roman Catholic bishop
• Joep Franssens (born 1955), composer
• Jan van der Kooi (born 1957), painter of figurative art
• Anita Buma (born 1958), pioneer Antarctic researcher
• Tjibbe Veldkamp (born 1962), author of children's books
• Wilma Mansveld (born 1962), politician
• Aernout Mik (born 1962), artist
• Peter Hofstee (born 1962), physicist and computer scientist
• Hans van den Hende (born 1964), Roman Catholic bishop
• Gerard Kemkers (born 1967), speed skating bronze medalist at 1988 Winter Olympics
• Didy Veldman (born 1967), choreographer
• J. Maarten Troost (born 1969), travel writer
• Stephan Veen (born 1970), field hockey player in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics
• Sharon Dijksma (born 1971), politician
• Diederik Samsom (born 1971), politician
• Michiel van Veen (born 1971), politician
• Attje Kuiken (born 1977), politician and former civil servant
• Rudmer Heerema (born 1978), politician
• Rutger Smith (born 1981), track and field athlete
• Henk Nijboer (born 1983), politician
• Sophie Polkamp (born 1984), field hockey athlete, two-time Olympic champion
• Kim Feenstra (born 1985), model
• Marijn Nijman (born 1985), former international cricketer
• Manja Smits (born 1985), politician
• Bauke Mollema (born 1986), cyclist
• Lorena Klijn (born 1987), kickboxer
• Tom-Jelte Slagter (born 1989), professional road racing cyclist
• Lois Abbingh (1992), handball player
• Jur P. van den Berg (born 1981), computer engineer
• Jorden van Foreest (born 1999), chess grandmaster

Wikimedia Commons has media related to People of Groningen.

• List of Dutch people